FRANCINE BRIOCHE RECIPES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add active dry yeast, milk and honey. Stir well and allow the yeast to activate, about 15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour and salt; whisk well and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add butter and powdered sugar; stir until evenly combined and set aside.
• Add beaten eggs and vanilla to the yeast. Process until the ingredients are mixed using the dough hook attachment. Add flour mixture and process on low speed for 2 minutes.
• Add a third of the butter mixture, increase the speed to 3 and continue mixing until nicely combined before adding another third, scraping the sides of the bowl.
• When the butter is all in, start using the reserved ¾ cup of flour by adding a tablespoon at a time until the dough clings around the hook – add more if needed.
• Increase the speed to 4 and knead for 6 minutes.
• With floured hands, form a ball and place it in a large bowl lightly greased. Cover with a clean dish towel and place it in a warm place such as the oven, seam side down. Let it rise until it doubles in size, about 1 ½ hours.
• Punch the dough to deflate and form a ball once again. Place it back in the bowl, cover and transfer to the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
• The next day, butter and flour a loaf pan (make rolls or loaf); set aside.
• Drop the chilled hard dough onto a floured work surface and weigh it if braiding (refer to challah recipe), making buns (refer to hamburger buns recipe) or forming rolls.
• If making rolls, form 8 equal balls and place them in the prepared pan. Cover and let it proof for 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC
• In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and milk; whisk well.
• When the proofing time is done, brush the egg wash on top and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes before rotating the pan; bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until nice and brown.
• Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Carefully flip the loaf and let it cool off completely on a wire rack.
• To view this recipe on YouTube, click on this link >>>> https://youtu.be/ZjWEFWRtGWc

Steps:

• Combine the milk and 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) water in a small saucepan and heat until lukewarm, 110 to 116 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer milk mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add brown sugar and yeast and stir to combine; set aside 5 minutes. (The yeast should look foamy. If it doesn’t foam, discard and try again with different yeast.)
• Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Using the dough hook attachment on your mixer, stir in all but 1 cup of the flour. Mix in salt. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition and scraping down the bowl before adding the next. Add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix on low speed, stopping once or twice to pull the dough off the hook, about 5 minutes, or until the dough is glossy, pulls away from the side of the bowl and has gathered in a ball on the hook.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. The dough will double in size. Stir the puffed dough with a spoon to deflate, then re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the pearl sugar (or your homemade version) a little at a time. The dough will be stiff but will become more pliable as it warms. Cut dough into 16 equal pieces with a bench scraper or chef’s knife and return to the refrigerator.
• Heat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Working with 1 or 2 balls of dough at a time (leave the rest in the refrigerator), arrange on the waffle iron and cook until golden brown all over, 2 to 5 minutes depending on your iron. Use tongs to transfer waffles to a baking sheet or cooling rack. Some of the sugar will melt out of the waffles and collect in your iron, adding an extra layer of glossy molten sugar to each waffle as you continue. Serve waffles warm.